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Obviously, this is a simplification. Infants die for other reasons that you can think of to be different from the reasons for which old people die (e.g. cancer), and these reasons are being factored out of the graph.

I thought the point of the graph was that it didn't matter how or why the people died though? Isn't that part of why it's so surprising?

The point of the graph is that it doesn't matter how or why people die, after a certain age. This is clear from context, though not explicitly stated.

Significantly higher relative to life expectancy of someone who makes it to 10 years old, but still incredibly low in the Western world. It's likely close enough to 0 that it just isn't visible on the graph.

There's also a rise in late adolescence when risk taking and suicide are much higher.